“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne

AWANA Fall Festival – no better feeling than putting a smile on children’s faces!

The Psalms continue to bring light into hidden crooks of my life and wrap me in the love of my Heavenly Father. I hope you enjoy the following devotional as much as I did from Joni Eareckson Tada:

The psalmist writes, “You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth” (Psalm 71:5). These are the words of someone who has passed through dark places, challenging mountain ascents, and slippery trails with uneven footing. And yet he is able to say, “My hope is as steady as ever—not because of my life circumstances, but because of the God who holds me in His firm grip. I have all kinds of confidence, but none of it is in myself.” Christian hope has an object of its focus, and it is God himself, the God who has revealed Himself in the Bible. To hope in God is to not feel consumed by difficult life challenges, because you know His mercies and compassion are fresh every day. To hope in God is to have confidence that one day when Christ returns, He will close the curtain on sin, Satan, and suffering and will make all things right.

Oh sovereign Lord, in you we have taken refuge because you are our rock and fortress. From our birth we have been dependent on you for everything. You have never failed us. From the beginning of our salvation until the days of our old age, we declare your infinite worth. Lord, teach us to praise you more and more by telling of your righteousness and salvation. Teach us to speak of your mighty acts to the next generation. In the blessed name of our Lord. Amen. (Holman Old Testament Commentary)